Typical systems for acquiring iris images for biometric matching are not optimized for compactness. Many different form factors of biometric systems exist. For iris biometric, such devices are typically hand-held, desk-top or of a fixed installation. One of the problems with hand-held iris biometric devices is that they are bulky and they have been designed only for an operator to carry as a special purpose piece of bulky equipment. Desk-top devices are easy to remove and steal, and fixed installations limit the mobility of where the biometric authentication can be performed.
In addition, Biometric systems are typically designed to acquire optimal images by considering specific constraints of the type of biometric in question. If other data is to be acquired (e.g. face or background imagery), then typically different sensors are used since requirements for different types of imagery are very different. However, such an approach can add cost to the overall solution and may also increase the size or footprint of the system. In addition, the number of components required for image acquisition and processing (e.g., illuminators, sensors, positioning systems, storage for images, etc) create complexity in the design of an integrated device that is both mobile and compact. Moreover, the ability to acquire high quality biometric images in a compact device for efficient processing provides further challenges.